Shattered Hearts ePub Read Free Page A

right past me then, opened the fridge and began to chug milk straight from the carton.  Once the carton was empty he tossed it into the sink and turned back around.
    “You must be Nate?” I tried again, surprised that his personality was so unlike Maggie’s.
    He grunted in affirmation and helped himself to a big chunk of the chocolate cake.  Then he walked over to the table and plunked down right across from me.  I waited for him to acknowledge me in some way but he kept his head down, his slightly-too-long hair hanging in his face.  As I watched, he dug into the cake ravenously, eating like a man who hasn’t had a meal in days.  There was something primal about him, testosterone-driven and caveman-like.
    Just then Maggie returned to the kitchen, ice cream container in hand.  “Oh really, Nate?” she chided with a scowl.  “You couldn’t even wait for us, or at least serve Amanda some cake before you helped yourself?  Rude!”
    Nate shrugged and shoveled another forkful of cake into his mouth.
    She shook her head in annoyance and then began to talk about Nate like he wasn’t even there.  “Honestly, my brother can be such a Neanderthal sometimes. We weren’t raised like that,” she told me sheepishly as she dished up my cake and ice cream, clearly embarrassed by her brother’s boorish behavior. 
    “It’s okay,” I said quickly, not wanting to be the source of any tension in the home.  “Thanks.”
    “Nate,” Maggie said, sounding slightly nervous, “Amanda will be staying here with us...we hardly even use the basement which is shame since Dad worked so hard to finish it.  It’s really nice,” she promised, redirecting her attention to me.  “It has a four piece washroom, a big bedroom and a spacious living area.  You’ll have your privacy down there, too.  I’ll take you down and show you as soon as we’re done with dessert...if you don’t like it we can fix it up however you want, or we can move you into the spare room upstairs...”
    “The basement sounds great,” I assured her.  I wasn’t hard to please; as long as I had someplace safe, warm and clean to lay my head, I’d be content.
    Nate raised his head then, looking right at me.  “What’s she staying here for?” he demanded, demonstrating that yes, despite my initial impression of him he was capable of stringing words together to form a sentence after all.
    With a sinking feeling, I realized Nate didn’t know Maggie had hired me.  Uh oh...
    “She’s going to be working for us,” Maggie explained, her face flushed.  Then, talking a mile a minute, she elaborated, “I know you said we’re fine on our own, but Nate, we’re not fine.  The farm is too much work for the two of us, especially since I’m taking a full college course load online.  We need help if we’re going to keep the farm in the family and that’s where Amanda comes in.”
    A shadow came over Nate’s face.  “What do you know about farming?” he asked me accusingly.
    “Uh...not much,” I admitted truthfully, squirming under his unforgiving gaze.  “But I’m a quick learner and a hard worker,” I added, offering a small smile that was intended to serve as a peace offering.  He didn’t smile back.
    Nate stood then, and, glowering, grabbed Maggie’s shirt sleeve.  It was a simple enough gesture but it brought up painful memories I’d have preferred to keep buried.  Feeling my body tense, I looked at Maggie but she didn’t appear to be the least bit alarmed.  She merely shot her brother a dirty look, which he quickly returned.  In that moment the family resemblance was uncanny.
    Wordlessly, Nate pulled Maggie into the next room.  He was trying to take the conversation out of earshot, I guess, but I could still hear most of what they were saying despite their hushed tones.  It was a conversation that wasn’t meant for my ears and I felt strange overhearing it, like I was doing something wrong.
    “We can’t afford to hire